About Me

Kim Carlton

My name is Kim Carlton. I am a Christian and a wife and a mother. I am a writer and a painter.
My blog is dedicated to sharing the paintings and writings about art that spring forth from a life dedicated to God, that is, my life.
Isaiah 60:1 Arise! Shine! For your light arrives! The splendor of the LORD shines on you!
Ephesians 5:14 For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Psalm 97:11 LIGHT is sown for the righteous, and JOY for the upright in heart.
John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.~~~~~~ Paint the Light; PAINT YOUR JOY.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

I kind of liked the original block-in of Soda Springs and thought to perhaps leave it alone, but there is something inside of me that always wants to make it better or to finish it, if it could be more finished. Sometimes I regret it but not this time. I had a lot of fun completing this little 8x10, reliving that afternoon painting the springs with my friends; the memories of the sounds and smells and jokes were keeping a smile on my face as I finished the afternoon on my canvas. That's kind of what it's all about.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

While I was in Wyoming, I had the wonderful opportunity to have had a couple of "brutally honest" critiques of my painting, "Sisters" by two highly respected master painters and I'd like to share the lesson, as it was very instructive.

One said that it was a wonderful painting, complimenting the brushwork, design and etc. The other wanted to see the shadow area painted in, judging it too dark and attention-grabbing. He also thought the black frame against the painting was too sudden and "closed in."

I have painted over the original painting, filling in the shadow, adding some touches to the sisters, and painting a lighter border around the inside of the frame. I do think that the changes have improved the feeling of Sisters, making it lighter and airier feeling. It more matches my own feelings when I look at the little figurines.

My take-aways: 1. Always be open to honest criticism of your work and willing to change. My goal should never be to be right; it should always be to be my best.

2. Everyone sees things differently and that's okay. I really like that one of the masters liked Sisters as it was. But I acted on the negative critique.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

I'm an oil painter but my students are watercolorists. It's a wonderful adventure with them because I really think that I would let my love of watercolor take a backseat, if not for them.

This is a section of a bougainvillea study that I did out in my backyard. The glory of watercolor is the white paper, bouncing the light back to you through the vivid color laid on the page. I love it.